Method of sealing bottles and other vessels.



'entran srarss PATENT carica EARL PORTER WETMORE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,ASSI'GNOR TO STERLING CORK AND SEAL COMPANY, A CORPORATION F DELAWARE.

Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

v.Allplication led November 10,l 1908. SerialNof-IGLMB.

1 To all whom t may concern:

' blank, and

Be it known that I, EARL PORTER WET- MORE, of New York city, in thecounty and State of-New York, have inventedan Improved Method ofSealino1 Bottles and Vother Vessels, of which the following is aspecifi` cation.

This invention has relation to an improved methodof sealing bottles. r

In carrying outv my invention, I provide a sealing cap formedV from asheet metal consisting of a crown portion, a smooth pendent annularskirt portion, and a corrugated,substantially horizontal flange orextension.v The'cap in this form is then placed loosely upon the bottlehead, having avprojecting lockingshoulder, and an annular-bending ordrawing die having an interior diameter which is equal to, `orslightlyless than, the diameter of the skirt portion The action ofthe cap isforced thereover.

of this die bends downwardly the corrugated,

horizontal flange on the line of its junction with the smooth skirtportion, and brings said iiange to a substantially vertical position toform a cylindrical extension of the pendent-skirt, portions of theeorrugations being lforced inwardly underneath the locking` shoulder onthe bottle. The smooth pendent skirt portion, fiange portion, being ofdifferent degrees of rigidity, the die causes the flange to benddownwardly along' the line of junction betweenthese two portions, andwhich is a line of substantiall uniform resistance.

Inpthe drawing forming a part hereof, Figure lis an exterior edge viewof the sealing cap as* it appears after the first step in itsmanufacture, or as when stamped from a blank, and Fig. 2 a top view ofthe same. Fig. 3 showsthe incomplete cap in vertical section, and seatedon a bottle head, with a drawing die above it. Fig. 4 illustrates thetogether with the die and complete cap,

the coneluslon bottlel as they appear upon of the drawing operation.

Referring now to ,the drawing, 1 isv the crown, Q. the skirt, and 3 thehorizontallyextending circular corrugated flange of the incomplete capas that device appearsv be-v fore the final step in its formation inwhich the said flange is drawn to cylindricalv form.

5 represents the simplest form of drawing tool or die, and 7 the bottlehead.

Fig. 4 shows the position of the parts after engagement of all of them.and the corrugated the die has completed its action, as above described.From this figure it will be seen that the flange 3 has been forceddownwardly to a position in which itfforms a vertieal'ext'ension 3 ofthe skirt, land that portions of the corrugations have been forced'inwardly underneath and in locking enga ement with the locking shoulderB of t eI bottle head.

It will be seen that the corrugated locking flange 3 of the cap is ofappreciably greater rigiditytha'n is the uncorrurrated skirt portion 2;and that when said ffange is bent downwardly from the position shown inFig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 4, the bend naturally occurs on thecircular line which forms the junction of these two members 2 and Blandat the inner ends'of the corrugations, instead of across them. Thisgives a bending pointof substantially uniform resistance throughout thecircumference. This notv only makes the bend occur much more easily, butit permits of a substantially uniform contraction of the flange asits-diameter is decreased during the bending operation. The result is asubstantially unlform forcin inward ofV all the corrugations and asustantiallyuniform locking The bending' line of uniform resistance alsopermitsI the locking flange to adapt itself to varying sizes andirregularities of the bottle heads. By this method of bending,comparatively little inward radial pressure is required. This obviatesto a very large degree' the breakage of the bottles, which has occurred'with the methods heretofore employed. It also permits of the applicationof the invention to other vessels besides bottles; that is to say,vessels such as fruit jars, jelly glasses, and like vessels havingmouths of relatively large diameter.

It will be understood that the relation which vthe corrugated portion ofthe skirt bears to the shoulder ofthe bottle, at the 100 I do'nottherefore confine my invention to vessels with caps having a crown,pendent 11G lbringing the sealing Av cap and bottle head skirt andsubstantially horizontal ooiru gated liangeat the base of .the skirt,which consists in bending,` the liange downward on a line formingthejunction between the skirt and flange into substantiallyA vertical posi.tionfthus engaging the corrugationsI with 'the Shoulder on the bottle.

` 2. The method of sealing bottles @und` other vesselsv withA capshaving a crown, pendent skirt 'and substantially horizontal 'corrugateda'nge at the base of the Skirt, which winne consists in bending theflange downwardly *I -on the line of junction between the skirt I andlange into substantially vertical position over a locking shoulder onthe bott-1eand at 15 the same time confining the ange externally toforce the Corrugations inwardly underneath said shoulder:

EARL PORTER WETMORE. Wtnessem MAE. E. DEY, JOHN P., SCHNEIDER.

